oh yummy!

Would you look at that?  Husband knows how much I like Hot Cross Buns.  He made some without the crosses and some loaves as well.  He says the recipe is broken though.  The buns are HUGE!  He says he likes to bake.  He makes such amazing bread.

 Happy Monday!  Don't forget to check out the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side!  There are some amazing quilts to check out!

working away...

So mum asked for a table cover for her vintage Ikea round table on the back deck.  (Can IKEA be vintage?)  Mum gave me some fabric but I didn't like them so I pulled an assortment from the stash and got busy.  I decided on 5" squares and 5" x 10" rectangles.  It feels right.  Check it out.

This is the start of it all on the "design bed."  Okay.  So how does one turn a rectangle into a circle.  You ask Husband to make you a giant paper circle pattern with a diameter of 39"  with an extra 8" for the drop.  Actually, first you ask for a 36" circle with an extra 8" for the drop because you didn't write down what your mother said and you almost mess up.  Anyway... Husband was most helpful and made a giant paper circle.  This morning, I added the extra 3" all the way around.  It is just a darn good thing that I waited to cut the circle and checked with Mum again before cutting.  Phew!

This was a fun little project that is just waiting for me to hand sew the binding.  I am going to write up a quick little tutorial for it and will post it in a day or two.  I just happened to find the perfect sheet at the thrift store on Saturday for the back and binding.  A king size red plaid sheet for $1.75.  Snazzy!

we're back in blogland!

Blogger was showing as unavailable and having technical difficulties.  That’s not good!  I have been very busy this week but not with a lot of sewing!  School life has a way having peaks and valleys of busy and once the end of the school year starts to roll around, the busy is always peaking.

Each year our school district honours our Aboriginal students with a dinner and presentation of certificates of achievement for each student.  It is a lovely celebration of the students.  The grandparents and great-grandparents come out and the babies too.  The little ones watch the Grade 12s who are graduating be blanketed and honoured.  The students going to middle school are honoured with a paddle to help them on their way.  Aboriginal tradition is an oral tradition where stories are passed down from person to person.  In order to help with the passing on of stories, people are entrusted to do the work and bear witness to the event.  I have been honoured for several years now, to do the work of a witness to the event.  This year, I was even called upon to say some words to the graduating Grade 12s.  Wow!  And what is more, just to talk a little bit more about school, I am proud to say that the graduation rates for Aboriginal students in our school district are higher than the provincial average Aboriginal Graduation rates.  Collectively, we are doing very good work and that is a good thing!

But back to quilting, Mum has asked me to make a table cover for the table on her deck.  Hmmm.  She asked me a while ago so I better get cracking.  Summer is coming.  I have pulled some fabric.  Some of the pile is vintage, some retro feedsack prints and some other stuff.   My thinking is 5” squares alternating with 5” by 10” rectangles.  Easy peasy.  But here is my question.  I cannot see putting batting in a table cover.  Won’t the batting make the table cover too stiff????  I am thinking that I sandwich the top and bottom with a sheet or something of a similar weight.  Thoughts?

putting pieces together

I chop of fabric and put it back together again.  It's a lot of fun.  Husband doesn't cut up fabric.  He cuts up wood.  Lots of wood.  But first he draws pictures.  Then the wood gets chopped up and he is usually left with only a tiny pile of scraps.  He puts all the pieces of wood back together and makes me happy.

This used to be a slightly inset empty wall and now it is a lovely place to pile all sorts of lovely clutter.  What's more, those cupboards at the bottom are filled with quilts in one and quilt magazines in another.  My knitting fills one of the drawers.  Clever Husband!

Christmas in May?!

I see that new Christmas lines are being released and places like the Fat Quarter Shop have their Christmas fabric shop up and running.  So when is it okay to start talking about Christmas fabric?  I bought a fair bit of fabric in the after Christmas sales but when Christmas is over, who cares to talk about Christmas fabric?  So here is my Christmas fabric basket.  What do I have in there?  A whole bunch of Fruitcake by Basic Grey for Moda.  Some of this is from after Christmas sales and some from the by the pound sale at my fabulous local quilt shop.  I like this line because it is not too Christmas-y.  There is also a jelly roll and some yardage, again Moda-Crazy 8 by Sandy Gervais.  And again, not too Christmas-y.  My quilting aunties passed on a Christmas table runner kit in a lovely tin. Nice!  And of course, 12 Days of Christmas by Kate Spain for Moda.  All wrapped up in a pretty package of 1/2 metre cuts.  And a pattern.  Trees for Sale.

The funny thing if you has asked me last October about Christmas fabric, I would have said that I don't have any because I didn't think I was a big fan of Christmas fabric.  I just had not found the right Christmas fabric!

So just like the big fabric companies, I am releasing my Christmas stash in May!  Probably won't do much with it until summer but it was fun to paw around in it today!

Another finish!

Okay, this one has been in the works for a full year.  I have been a hand quilting procrastinator but not anymore because this puppy is done like dinner!  Wahoo!  After I attached the binding, I tossed it in the washing machine and after a bit of a dry in the dryer, the applique edges were softly fuzzed.

Husband spoiled me rotten today and lovely wishes from both children made for a happy day.  Husband and I pruned roses.  Bought some BIG Western Red Cedars for our reforestation project in the field and wandered about in the lovely little village of Fort Langley.  Fort Langley is just a short drive from home and is filled with antique and collectibles stores and there just happens to be a nice little quilt shop.  Husband was most accommodating as I wandered in and out of places.  I like to check out the collectibles so I know how well I am doing with my garage sale and thrift store finds.  Oh my goodness have I ever got some bargains lately at least compared to what is being charged retail in these shops!

The quilt store was fun.  They had a large basket filled with scrappy bits.  All you can stuff into a little ziploc bag for $3.  I took this on as a personal challenge.  I selected some choice bits.  Mainly full width of fabric strips.  I methodically stacked the fabric in bunches and rolled tightly then stuffed the rolls in the bag.  Husband was astonished how much fabric I had rolled into that bag.   It is a rare talent for sure!

Hope your Mother's day was happy!  And I leave you with ducks in the blueberries behind the grape vines.  Let's just say we have had a lot of rain!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Here she is...  Best Mum in the world!  Happy Mum's Day!  Giant hugs, sloppy kisses and much love.  My Mum is the most awesome.  She is a gardener, story teller, weaver, recycler, cook, baker, camper, fisher, sewer, thrift store shopper, friend, reader, best planter of carrots, volunteer, "interweb user", photographer, hiker, mother in law and granmum!  She is in a word... amazing and I am so just so tickled that I can call her MUM!